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I am watching the YouTube video of “Revealing Heaven by Kat Kerr.” I don’t know why these days, I feel drawn to reading books about heaven. I have a collection of these books, like “Heaven is For Real,” and “Heaven is so Real.” At one time, I even considered writing a book on heaven and hell, warning people to plan their eternal lives now. However, I realized that there are a lot of books on the topic, so I decided to read them all and write about those that speak to me.

When Kat Kerr mentioned about Eternal Planning, my ears perked up. She says that salvation is free, but the life we live now determines our eternal position. What does she mean by this? She says that many people do many types of planning; vacation, wedding, real estate planning to mention a few. But do we ever take the time to plan the most important one of all…eternal planning? When this is launched, it will never change. We can work towards it until we die, but afterwards, there’s nothing much we do about it.

She suggests: “find out what God’s purpose is for your life and accomplish it. He has a destiny for all of us. We will either rule or reign with Jesus Christ in the new earth, or we will serve others. We will be held accountable for what God called us to do with our lives. We have specific destinies. If we don’t know our specific purpose, we must seek God and He will reveal it to us. God gave us different gifts, talents, and grace to accomplish our purpose. We must make sure that our earthly life counts for the Kingdom of God. Our reward will be to spend eternity, ruling with Jesus Christ. “

She also adds,” love one another and work together. The world will know us for our love of each other.”

What are we waiting for? The clock is ticking. It’s time to start planning for eternal life, if we haven’t done it yet.

Tomorrow is Dragon Boat festival. Get your eggs ready! Have a great weekend!

Taiwan is bracing for not one, but two typhoons. Yesterday, the supermarkets were packed with people stocking up on vegetables and fruits. This is one of the reasons why I was unable to post.

The other reason is that I have been chatting with my very busy sister in the US. She told me that she can teach me how to dry and pack food. She travels a lot and does not like to eat out. She prepares her own food. That is how she kept slim and fit despite her stressful job.

This information is heaven sent, as Jimmy and I want to develop a more convenient program for weight management. The biggest challenge is how to get kids and adults alike, to eat vegetables three times a day. We have trained our boys to eat iceberg or Romaine lettuce, while we like to munch on celery. However, most of our clients can not copy this, as they want something cooked to start their day. I will be writing more on this in the coming days.

Anyway, back to the typhoon. Classes have been suspended, and people in landslide prone areas have been evacuated. Everyone is on high alert.

I can not help but wonder if we have the same readiness when it comes to eternal life. While going about our daily chores, do we often ponder on our eligibility to enter the Kingdom of God? Do we make time for God and ask for directions on how to lead our lives so that we may one day be with Him?

As imperfect creatures, it is but natural to gloss over these thoughts, and even to deny them. However, our mortality is an eventuality, and the sooner we face these issues, the better our chances for heaven will be.

So, join me now as we carve some quiet time alone with God. Despite our busyness, the most important One of all, is God.

Many people might wonder why I am writing about Manny Pacquiao’s triumph. After all, Timothy Bradley was voted the winner in last Sunday’s questionable boxing bout, by two out of three judges.

For me, Manny still won in the hearts of his many fans, and definitely, the heavenly hosts think so, too. Manny never showed any signs of bitterness. He was still all smiles after the fight. It didn’t matter that many people believe this fight was rigged. It sure was painful for the family since this was the first time his children came to watch the fight. I feel for the children, who expected their father to win, but was not declared the winner. Anyone of lesser caliber would have succumbed to a meltdown. I probably might have.

But not Manny, who said it was a test of his faith. He will stay strong and true to God. Only a man who has a strong faith in God can overcome the bitterness, frustration, and disappointment that is warranted in this scenario.

This sad story reminds me of a similar story many, many years ago. My younger sister was great at delivering speeches. She was the representative of our school in a Girl Scout meet, where she delivered a great oration. She was declared the winner and went on stage to claim her medal. However, someone protested because the first runner up was a PRISAA (one of those nationwide or regional competitions) winner. So, they physically removed the medal from her and gave it to the runner up, right there, on the stage!

My mother and my sister went home crestfallen. I was not able to attend because I was resting from a tooth extraction. When I heard about this injustice, I felt really bad. My sister did not dwell on it and went on to greater heights.

There are many stories out there of injustices. Life is not fair. However, God is fair. He sees everything and He will give everyone their due, in time.

I don’t watch the boxing fights because I am afraid of these. I just wait for the results. Like most, if not every Filipino, I want Manny to win in the ring. Manny is more than just a great boxer. He carries the dreams and hopes of the Filipino nation on his shoulders.

I am proud of Manny Pacquiao, not just because he is one of the (if not the) greatest boxers who ever lived, but because he is the model of a great athlete. What is a great athlete? A great athlete is one who, when he enters the locker room after the sports event, is still smiling. A spectator who did not see the match can not tell whether he won or not. His faith in God does not depend upon the decision of any mortal. In his heart, he knows that he won the game for God.

Manny Pacquiao, you are a champion! You will always be a champion of the Lord! Godspeed!

I want you to know that I will always love you. I long to feel the warmth of your arms should you decide to give birth to me. Right now, my heart is aching, knowing that you are thinking of killing me.

I do not know your reasons for considering this plan of action. You might be frightened because of what other people might say, or do to you. The sheer impossibility of raising a child when you are barely out of your teens might seem overwhelming. You think that you can’t handle the responsibility of being an unwed mother, or you simply can not have another mouth to feed. You are ashamed because you think that you are too old to have a baby.

Whatever your reasons for planning to abort me, please reconsider your decision. God has a special mission for me to make the world a better place to live in. If you send me back to heaven before I fulfill my special purpose on earth, no one can take my place. The chance to improve mankind is gone forever. In my own little way, I can contribute to the betterment of humanity. Please let me live! I want so much to be with you.

In the event that this plea comes a little too late, do not despair. God will forgive you, if only you will sincerely repent and ask forgiveness of this sin. I want you here with me in heaven, Momma. If I can’t be with you on earth, at least, meet me in heaven when your time comes.

There’s one more thing I want you to promise me. In despair, do not attempt to harm or kill yourself. If you do so, it will be impossible for you to get to heaven. I want you here, with me. While on earth, look for ways to atone for aborting me. Speak out for the unborn child, in my behalf.

Remember that I love you, always. Despite the dark and stormy clouds, the sun will always shine. Take care, my dear Momma. God be with you!

The day before yesterday, I shared this photo in my post. I also promised that I will give the answer to the problem in one of my future posts. That post is for today. For those who have not read the previous post, these are the instructions.

1.) There are 13 nails and a box.

2.) How do you arrange the nails so that only one nail is supporting all 12 nails?

HINT: Think out of the box. Many thanks to Outbound Taiwan, who introduced us to this puzzle. Outbound Taiwan is an organization that trains people for team building. Jimmy and I enjoyed every minute of our interaction with the people behind the organization.

Before I show the solution, I’d like to discuss the issue of problems and solutions. Life is always fraught with problems. I don’t welcome problems with open arms, but after more than 5 decades on planet Earth, I realized that problems are opportunities hiding behind hard work. Since many people don’t like hard work, many opportunities pass by unnoticed.

I have been listening to Bill Johnson. He says that stress and problems tend to make people stay connected to God. The difficult part in life is to stay connected to God even when the blessings come. Yet, God wants to give us His blessings, if only we can still stay connected to Him.

I have also listened to Larry Randolph speak about the need for a shift in thinking to achieve the results we are seeking. With this nails and box problem, it needs a minor tweak (as Larry would put it), to get the solution.

Many times, we have many questions that don’t seem to have any answers. My youngest son always has these questions that bog my down. This is especially true after his daily Bible reading. As I am not an apologist, I refer him to Scott Hahn, Tim Gray, or Jeff Cavins. Nonetheless, I always remind my family to aim for heaven, where all our questions in this life will be answered. I guess this is my way of simplifying my life.

I may not have all the answers to life’s mystifying questions. However, my soul is content in knowing that I am aiming for heaven where all my questions will be answered, no matter how mind boggling these may be.

I have always loved rainbows. They signify hope for mankind. The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with Noah that never again will there be a great flood on earth. The song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” always makes me teary-eyed. It brings back memories of growing up with the entire family together through thick and thin. These days, we are scattered over the world, with me and my family being able to go home twice a year, as we are the closest to home.

At one time, while I was grappling with the major decision of marrying Jimmy and leaving my family and my medical practice behind, I asked God for a sign. I have always consulted God when making major decisions.

I wanted to obtain God’s blessings if I should migrate to a foreign land. After a week long retreat, I went to mass. As I was walking back to the car, I looked back at the church and saw …a rainbow! It was a bright sunny morning, and it wasn’t even showering. I took the rainbow as a sign from God saying, “Yes!” That is what gave me the courage to commit. Years later, when friends would wonder how I got the courage to leave everything and move to a country where I did not speak the language, I tell them the story of the rainbow.

Through the years, when life would become a puzzle, I never forgot to consult God. I have so many questions, and God is the only One who does not get tired of listening to me.

God is our loving Father who wants what’s best for us. He has a sense of humor, too. Thus, when God wants to say, “Absolutely yes!!!” This is what He sends:

My question at that time was, “God should I choose this career? I was not trained for this.” And this is God’s reply. The double rainbow stayed for a long time and we were able to take several shots with our cell phones.

So, here I am…enjoying every bit of this career, despite the ups and downs we have encountered. I wrote this post to remind myself that God is in control, and that I must trust in His Divine Providence, and so can you.